Special Interest Group: Women in Information Management (WIIM)

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  • 1.  Do you consider yourself to be working in technology?

    Posted 03-25-2024 10:42

    I was fortunate to attend a Women Working in Technology conference last Friday in Indianapolis. I was there as a student attendee as it related to a degree I am working on. Since I have spent a lot of my career working with electronic records and recordkeeping systems, I consider myself as not only a woman working in information systems but also as a woman working in technology. However, I do not feel that others, who do not understand what I do, have this view. 

    I would love to hear if you also connect these two identities. If you do, how do you sell it to your employers? I personally think that is also tied to wage gaps and earning potential. 

    Thanks!

    Rosemary



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    Rosemary Flynn, CA
    Principal Librarian & Archivist
    Library & Information Services
    Energy & Environmental Research Center
    University of North Dakota
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  • 2.  RE: Do you consider yourself to be working in technology?

    Posted 03-25-2024 15:20

    Hi Rosemary, 

    I am fortunate in that my position has been run out of the Data Systems department as long as I have been working here. That means that I have been able to be greatly involved in IT. I was also the SharePoint Administrator for a few years so that helped me gain traction as a woman in IT and not "just" a records manager. I definitely connect the two identities and I believe with the expansion of electronic recordkeeping it is even more important for those if us in these role to keep our fingers on the pulse of technological advances in our area of expertise. 

    I think that the emphasis on "paperless" or "paper reduction acts" will help us gain a better foothold in technology in our industry. I think the way I would sell it to my employer would depend on the reason behind trying to sell it. From an advancement perspective I would write a job description which entails all of the technology driven activities performed. If you are trying to get your department moved to a different organization I would write out the same types of things but with a concentration on the connection to the other departments in that area to show that you "fit" in with the other groups. 

    Thanks!

    Sarah



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    Sarah Lambert-Sheffield, CIP
    Lead Document and Records Management Specialist
    Fluor Federal Petroleum Operations
    DOE- Strategic Petroleum Reserve
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Do you consider yourself to be working in technology?

    Posted 30 days ago

    Hi Rosemary,

    I have been fortunate to have my records and technology identities connected.  I led a "Records and Technology Management Team" in my agency's Public Works department, and currently am the Data Stewardship and Privacy Supervisor in my agency's Information Technology Enterprise Data Management department.  In my agency, records management (including paper) traditionally has been within the purview of IT, but Selling myself as a technologist has been challenging.  I purposefully emphasize to anyone and everyone that I am managing and protecting data, regardless of format and that my job is to leverage technology (including artificial intelligence) to organize and add transparency to all of our data, including paper (as a government agency, we have significant paper records with permanent retention).  So far, I think is working!

    Please feel free to reach out of you want to discuss in more depth!



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    Kathryn Fugere
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    Original Message